In his series 'Very volcanic over this green feather,' Kosovarian artist Petrit Halilaj revisits childhood drawings he made while accompanied by a psychologist in a refugee camp in Kukës. “Since they were not able to speak the same language, they found a solution by communicating with each other through creativity” says Catia Costa from the UBS Art Collection.
Reflecting on his creative journey, Petrit says “it was really crazy to see how inside the drawings, both the reality and the imagination were present.” Fusing his fantastical visions with the challenging scenes he witnessed, his re-creations now offer a profound contemplation on hope and personal memory.
Halilaj’s work inspired the program for the UBS Art Studio at Art Basel in Basel 2023, featuring creative workshops designed in collaboration with the artist to bring fairgoers together.
The work 'Very volcanic over this green feather (blue bird),' (2021), which was recently acquired by the UBS Art Collection, is currently on display at the Red Cross Museum in Geneva for the artist’s solo-exhibition “Unfinished Histories” until September 17, 2023.
